Three CU Medicine Scholars Named in World’s Top 20 Translational Researchers

Prof. Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, Prof. Rossa Chiu Wai-kwun and Prof. Allen Chan Kwan-chee from the Faculty of Medicine have been named among the ‘Top 20 Translational Researchers of 2020’ by the world-renowned scientific journal Nature Biotechnology. The trio are the only scholars from Hong Kong on the list, and it is also the fifth consecutive year for Professor Lo to receive this honour.

Nature Biotechnology ranked the top translational researchers in biotech based on the number of patents (European and US) granted in 2020, the researchers’ top-cited patents over the past five years (2016–2020), and the citation scores of their publications (H-index). These are the indicators of how their biomedical research results have been effectively translated into clinical applications, being appreciated as translational research. The top-cited patent of the three professors during the period was ‘non-invasive determination of methylome of fetus or tumour from plasma’.

Professor Lo felt most honoured to be named for the fifth time. He said, ‘Being named a top translational researcher five years in a row by Nature Biotechnology is a tremendous recognition and encouragement to me and my team. It is most exciting to receive the honour with Rossa and Allen. Circulating nucleic acids have provided a treasure trove of molecular diagnostics and research. I have been fortunate to be involved in this exciting field for the past two decades with a great team.’

Professor Chiu said, ‘I am very grateful to be on the list again after being named in the 2018 list. It is most rewarding to see our work in non-invasive screening having a global impact in prenatal care and heading in a similar direction in oncology. Our latest work has mapped out multiple types of aberrations in a cancer genome non-invasively. Our ultimate goal is to enable early cancer detection and treatment.’

Professor Chan said, ‘Nature Biotechnology is a prestigious international journal and I am very grateful to be selected as one of the top translational researchers. We have developed genetic-epigenetic tissue mapping to determine the tissue composition of plasma DNA carrying genetic variants not presented in the constitutional genome through comparing their methylation profiles with relevant tissues. Diagnostically, we have validated the approach in prenatal testing and organ transplantation monitoring.’